Melbourne-based composer Cornel Wilczek was a double winner at the Screen Music Awards in Brisbane tonight, taking home the award for best TV drama score for Fake with Alex Orijnik and the award for best opening title TV theme for the Netflix series Survivors with Thomas Ruch.
The list of winners also included some of the state’s local talent, with Geoff Bush winning the Most Featured Screen Composer Overseas category for his work on Bluey, Meg Washington winning the Best Screen Composition for “Dream On” from How to Make Gravy, and Brisbane-based video game composer Cedar Jones winning Best Music for a Video Game or Other Interactive Media for Feed the Deep.
Jed Kurzel continues to dominate the film music field, winning Best Feature Film Score for the British period action drama Tornado, his fourth win in the category following Monkey Man (2024), Slow West (2015) and Snowtown (2011).
Other repeat winners include long-time collaborators Adam Ngoc and Dinesh Wicks, who won Australia’s most featured screen composer award for the 11th time for their work on The Farmer Wants a Wife, Lego Masters, MasterChef and Travel Guide.
Among the first-time winners, rising talent Aida Akbar was named Emerging Screen Composer of the Year and won Best Soundtrack Album for Finn Clarke’s documentary The Raftsmen, which tells the extraordinary story of 12 people who crossed the ocean on wooden rafts.
Christopher Gordon has been awarded the Australian Film Award’s Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his body of work and lasting contribution to the film music industry. The film was presented by director Bruce Beresford, with whom Gordon collaborated on “Ladies in Black” and “Mao’s Last Dancer.”
David Wenham, along with Mark Coles-Smith and Natalie Morris, hosted the awards ceremony at Brisbane’s Fortitude Music Hall, with returning musical director Erki Wertheim leading a live orchestra in a selection of nominated works.
The full list of winners is below:
Best Advertising Music Award
Title Toyota CH-R Diamond
Composed by Lance Grisik
Published by Massive Publishing
Best music for kids programming
titillant
Composer: Ian Grandage / Josh Hogan
Best Documentary Music Award
Title Yururu | Country
Composed by Helena Czajka
Best Short Film Music Award
Title On the way home
Composed by Dale Cornelius
Publisher: Concord Music Publishing ANZ
Best TV Comedy Music Award
Title Return to Paradise (Season 1 Episode 1)
Composed by Jackson Millas/Anthony Partos
Publisher Sonar Music
Best TV Drama Music Award
Title Fake (Season 1 Episode 5)
Composer: Cornel Wilczek / Alex Orijnik
Best Music for an Unscripted and Reality TV Series
Title: Eat the invaders
Composed by Benjamin Speed
Great music for video games or other interactive media
Title Feed the Deep
Composed by Cedar Jones
Best Opening Title TV Theme Award
Title The Survivors
Composer: Thomas Rouch* / Cornel Wilczek
Publisher: Concord Music Publishing ANZ*
Best original song composed for a movie
Title: “Dream On” How to make gravy sauce
Composed by Megan Washington
Publisher ORiGiN Music Publishing
Best soundtrack album
Title Raftsman
Composed by Finn Clarke
Feature Film Score of the Year
Title Tornado
Composed by Jed Kurzel
Publisher Sync Lady Music
This year’s featured screen composers
aida akbar
Most Proven Screen Composer – Australia
Composers Adam Gock and Dinesh Wicks
For travel guides, MasterChef, Farmer Wants a Wife, Lego Masters
The most proven screen composer – Overseas
composer joff bush
for bluey
Contributions to Australian film industry
Christopher Gordon
